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Laconia police said they were trying to arrest someone at 20 Jewett St. in the River Street area, and they urged people to avoid the location. Jewett Street, Union Avenue and Church Street were closed and schools were locked down while police tried to make an arrest.

Holy Trinity School went on lockdown, while Laconia High School dismissed its students except for those who live in the affected area. Students were later allowed to leave schools in buses or in cars, but walkers were not being dismissed.

Officials said they were called to the home on a report of an armed man making threats against someone. Police said they believed the man had a rifle, and they established a perimeter around the home.

While police have yet to make an arrest, they did confiscate a double barrel shotgun and several bags of ammunition.

“[We] attempted to make contact with an individual. We were informed that one of the individuals was armed with a rifle or a shotgun. We know it was a long rifle gun,” said Capt. William Clary.

At one point, a woman was brought out of the home in handcuffs, but police said she was not arrested. After she was removed from the scene, the Belknap Special Operations Group tried to determine if the suspect was still inside.

Police used concussive grenades to provoke a response from anyone in the home, but when nothing happened, they eventually went inside and no one was found. Police said they believed the man fled the area before they arrived.

“Of course, this happened in a very congested part of town, so we did set up a fairly large perimeter to keep people away, traffic away while the investigation was ongoing,” said Laconia Police Chief Chris Adams.

Adams said the man should be considered armed and dangerous.

Neighbors said they hope for an arrest and that even though this wasn’t really a standoff, it left them nervous.

“I was terrified. I was terrified for the community, my grandkids, myself, my family. It was really close,” said Lori Bixby.

Police have not released the identity of the suspect. They said the people he was in this home with weren’t sure of his full name.